Transistors with isolation regions

ABSTRACT

A transistor device is described that includes a source, a gate, a drain, a semiconductor material which includes a gate region between the source and the drain, a plurality of channel access regions in the semiconductor material on either side of the gate, a channel in the semiconductor material having an effective width in the gate region and in the channel access regions, and an isolation region in the gate region. The isolation region serves to reduce the effective width of the channel in the gate region without substantially reducing the effective width of the channel in the access regions. Alternatively, the isolation region can be configured to collect holes that are generated in the transistor device. The isolation region may simultaneously achieve both of these functions.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Semiconductor electronic devices and components, and a variety ofcircuit applications in which the devices and components may be utilizedare described.

BACKGROUND

To date, most transistors used in power electronic applications havetypically been fabricated with silicon (Si) semiconductor materials.Common transistor devices for power applications include Si CoolMOS, SiPower MOSFETs, and Si Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs). WhileSi power devices are inexpensive, they suffer from a number ofdisadvantages, including relatively low switching speeds and high levelsof electrical noise. More recently, silicon carbide (SiC) power deviceshave been considered due to their superior properties. III-Nsemiconductor devices, such as gallium nitride (GaN) devices, are nowemerging as attractive candidates to carry large currents, support highvoltages and to provide very low on-resistance and fast switching times.While numerous III-N transistors and diodes have been demonstrated,improvements in reliability are still necessary in order to enable largescale manufacturing and more widespread adoption of these devices.

FIG. 1 shows a transistor of the prior art having source electrode 14,drain electrode 15, gate electrode 13 and access regions 23 and 24. Asused herein, the “access regions” of a transistor refer to the tworegions between the source and gate electrodes, and between the gate anddrain electrodes of the transistor, i.e., regions 23 and 24,respectively, in FIG. 1. Region 23, the access region on the source sideof the gate, is typically referred to as the source access region, andregion 24, the access region on the drain side of the gate, is typicallyreferred to as the drain access region. As used herein, the “gateregion” 31 of a transistor refers to the portion of the transistorbetween the two access regions 23 and 24 in FIG. 1.

In typical power switching applications in which switching transistorsare used, the transistor is at all times in one of two states. In thefirst state, which is commonly referred to as the “on state”, thevoltage at the gate electrode relative to the source electrode is higherthan the transistor threshold voltage, and substantial current flowsthrough the transistor. In this state, the voltage difference betweenthe source and drain is typically low, usually no more than a few volts,such as about 0.1-5 volts. In the second state, which is commonlyreferred to as the “off state”, the voltage at the gate electroderelative to the source electrode is lower than the transistor thresholdvoltage, and no substantial current flows through the transistor.Whether the device is on or off depends on whether or not current isable to flow through the device (off=no current). Current flow isdetermined by the voltage on the gate. When the device is on (gatevoltage is high), only a small voltage (0.1-5V) at the drain is requiredto keep the current flowing. Whereas, when the device is off (gatevoltage is low), no substantial current flows regardless of how muchvoltage is applied to the drain (up to the high voltage limit of thedevice, at which point the device breaks down).

In the off state, the voltage between the source and drain can rangeanywhere from about 0V to the value of the circuit high voltage supply,which in some cases can be as high as 100V, 300V, 600V, 1200V, 1700V, orhigher. When the transistor is in the off state, it is said to be“blocking a voltage” between the source and drain. As used herein, theterm “blocking a voltage” refers to the ability of a transistor toprevent substantial current, such as a current that is greater than0.001 times the operating current during regular conduction, fromflowing through the transistor when a voltage is applied across thetransistor. In other words, while a transistor has blocking a voltageapplied across it, the total current passing through the transistor willnot be greater than 0.001 times the operating current during regularconduction.

As used herein, a “high-voltage device”, such as a high-voltagetransistor, is an electronic device which is optimized for high-voltageswitching applications. That is, when the transistor is off, it iscapable of blocking high voltages, such as about 300V or higher, about600V or higher, about 1200V or higher, or about 1700V or higher, andwhen the transistor is on, it has a sufficiently low on-resistance(R_(ON)) for the application in which it is used, i.e., it experiencessufficiently low conduction loss when a substantial current passesthrough the device. A high-voltage device can at least be capable ofblocking a voltage equal to the high-voltage supply or the maximumvoltage in the circuit for which it is used. A high-voltage device maybe capable of blocking 300V, 600V, 1200V, 1700V, or other suitableblocking voltage required by the application. In other words, ahigh-voltage device can block any voltage between 0V and at leastV_(max), where V_(max) is the maximum voltage that could be supplied bythe circuit or power supply. In some implementations, a high-voltagedevice can block any voltage between 0V and at least 2*V_(max).

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a transistor device having a short-circuit survival timeis described. The transistor device includes a source, a gate, a drain,and a semiconductor material which includes a gate region, the gateregion being between the source and the drain. The transistor devicefurther includes a plurality of channel access regions in thesemiconductor material between the source and the gate and between thedrain and the gate, respectively, a channel in the semiconductormaterial having an effective width in the gate region and in the channelaccess regions, and an isolation region in the gate region serving toreduce the effective width of the channel in the gate region withoutsubstantially reducing the effective width of the channel in the accessregions.

In another aspect, a transistor device is described that includes asource, a gate, a drain, and a semiconductor material which includes agate region, the gate region being between the source and the drain. Thetransistor device further includes a plurality of channel access regionsin the semiconductor material between the source and the gate andbetween the drain and the gate, respectively, a channel in thesemiconductor material, and an isolation region in or near a region ofthe semiconductor material which has a high electric field or is at alow electric potential during device operation, serving to improve theefficiency of hole collection from the semiconductor material.

In yet another aspect, a transistor device is described that includes asource having a source width, the transistor device having a maximumcurrent and an on-resistance. The maximum current per unit source widthof the transistor device is less than 500 milliamps/millimeter, and theon-resistance multiplied by the source width is less than 30ohm-millimeters.

For all devices described herein, one or more of the following may beapplicable. The device can include a plurality of isolation regions inthe gate region. An isolation region can be a region etched through thechannel. The device can include a field plate, which can be along anedge of the isolation region or can lie over the channel access regionbetween the gate and the drain. The field plate can be a slant fieldplate. The field plate can be connected to one of the gate, the source,the drain, ground or a DC voltage. The isolation region can lie beneathor near to the field plate. The isolation region can contain dopantsimplanted into the semiconductor material to a depth greater than thedepth of the channel, and the dopants can be selected from the groupconsisting of Mg, Al and Fe. The device can be a III-N transistor. Thedevice can be a field effect transistor. The isolation region can becapable of collecting holes generated in the semiconductor material. Thegate or the source can contact a surface of the isolation region. Theisolation region can increase the short-circuit survival time of thetransistor. The device can be a high-voltage device. The isolationregion can lie beneath or near the source. The isolation region can liebeneath or near the gate. The isolation region can lie between thesource and the gate. The device may further include a metal electrodecontacting a surface of the isolation region. The device can be capableof blocking at least 600V. The on-resistance multiplied by the sourcewidth can be less than 15 ohm-millimeters. The maximum current can beless than 50 A. The on-resistance can be less than 1 ohm. The product ofthe maximum current and the on-resistance can be less than about 5Amp-ohms.

Isolation regions can be used in transistor devices to limit the maximumcurrent that can flow through the device without substantiallyincreasing the on-resistance of the device. Alternatively, isolationstructures or regions can be configured to collect holes that aregenerated in the transistor device. The isolation regions maysimultaneously achieve both of these functions.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a prior art device;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a device according to this specification;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section through the cut 3-3 of the device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section through the cut 4-4 of the device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section through the cut 5-5 of the device of FIG. 2;and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a device according to thisspecification.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, a transistor device is described that has alower channel charge density and/or lower channel conductivity in thegate region of the device than in the device access regions, and thushas a reduced short-circuit current I_(max) while still maintaining alow on-resistance. Transistor 1 includes isolation regions 20, 21 and 22between the source 14 and the drain 15. The isolation regions can beconfigured to increase or maximize the short-circuit survival time ofthe transistor 1 by reducing or minimizing the maximum channel current(short-circuit current) I_(max) that can flow through the device, whilemaintaining an acceptably low on-resistance. Alternatively, theisolation structures or regions can be configured to collect holes thatare generated in the transistor 1. The isolation regions maysimultaneously achieve both of these functions. The transistors can belateral devices, III-N devices, field effect transistors,enhancement-mode devices (threshold voltage >0V), depletion-mode devices(threshold voltage <0V), high-voltage devices, or any combination ofthese devices. III-N devices can be III-polar (III-face) devices,N-polar (N-face) devices or semipolar devices. A Ga-face, III-face orIII-polar III-N device can include III-N materials grown with a groupIII-face or [0 0 0 1] face furthest from the growth substrate, or caninclude source, gate, or drain electrodes on a group III-face or [0 0 01] face of the III-N materials. A nitrogen-face, N-face, or N-polarIII-N device can include III-N materials grown with an N-face or [0 0 01 bar] face furthest from the growth substrate, or can include source,gate, or drain electrodes on an N-face or [0 0 0 1 bar] face of theIII-N materials.

When a semiconductor device such as a transistor is operated in the offstate, large electric fields may be present in the material layers,especially when the device is used in high-voltage applications. Theselarge electric fields can result in the creation of holes, such as byimpact ionization, in regions in which these electric fields are large.The holes, which have a positive electrical charge, migrate within thedevice structure towards regions of low electric potential (i.e., lowvoltage). The presence of these positively charged holes can lead toshifts in the device threshold voltage, reduced reliability, and otherundesirable effects. Hence, it is desirable to minimize or eliminate theeffects of these holes.

Furthermore, in some circuit or system applications in whichhigh-voltage transistors are used, during failure of the circuit orsystem, the transistor can be operated in the on state (i.e. conductingcurrent) with a large voltage between the source and drain, for shortperiods of time. During this short time, the current flowing through thetransistor is the maximum current that the transistor is capable ofconducting. This maximum current value is typically referred to as the“short-circuit current” and is represented by the symbol I_(max). Forexample, in a motor drive circuit, there are times in which the motorcan stop turning, accompanied by a simultaneous large current (i.e.,short-circuit current) through the high-voltage transistors in the motordrive circuit, and a large voltage across the source and drain terminalsof these transistors. The control circuitry, which can send a voltagesignal to the gate of the transistors to turn the devices off andthereby prevent further current from flowing, has a finite responsetime, typically about 10 microseconds. Hence this high current, highvoltage mode of operation is sustained for this entire response time ofthe control circuitry.

During the high current, high voltage mode of operation described above,the high-voltage transistors and/or other circuit components can becomedamaged or rendered inoperable. The length of time for which the highcurrent, high voltage mode of operation can be sustained withoutdamaging the transistor, known as the “short-circuit survival time,” isrepresented by the symbol τ and given by the equationτ=[ΔT*m*C]/[I_(max)*V], where ΔT is the maximum temperature rise of thetransistor before damage is incurred, m is the thermal mass of thetransistor (i.e., the mass of material in the vicinity of the transistorchannel, such as the mass of the material within about 5 microns of thetransistor channel), C is the average thermal capacity of the materialin the vicinity of the transistor channel, I_(max) is the maximumcurrent that the transistor is capable of conducting (i.e., theshort-circuit current), and V is the average voltage across thetransistor during the high current, high voltage mode of operation.

As seen from the equation for τ above, one way to increase τ is todecrease the short-circuit current I_(max) without substantiallyaffecting any of the other parameters in the equation for τ. Forexample, this can be accomplished by designing the transistor with alower channel charge density and/or lower channel conductivity. However,reducing I_(max) by this method, as well as by many other methods,increases the transistor's on-resistance R_(on), hence increasing thepower loss during normal operation. It is therefore desirable to reduceI_(max) without substantially affecting any of these other parameters inthe equation for τ, while only minimally increasing the on-resistance.

Most conventional III-N high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) andrelated transistor devices are normally on, i.e., have a negativethreshold voltage, which means that they can conduct current at zerogate voltage. These devices with negative threshold voltages are knownas depletion-mode (D-mode) devices. It can be preferable in some powerelectronics applications to have normally-off devices, i.e., deviceswith positive threshold voltages, that cannot conduct current at zerogate voltage, in order to avoid damage to the device or to other circuitcomponents by preventing accidental turn-on of the device. Normally-offdevices are commonly referred to as enhancement-mode (E-mode) devices.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, as used herein, the “gate region” of atransistor refers to the portion 31 of the transistor between the twoaccess regions 23 and 24. The transistor of FIGS. 2-5 includes isolationregions 20, 21, and 22 (shown in the plan view of FIG. 2) at leastpartially within the gate region 31 of the device.

Isolation regions 20-22 are regions through which substantial channelcurrent cannot flow, i.e., they provide a break in the device channelbetween source 14 and drain 15. They can be etched regions wheresemiconductor material has been etched through the channel, orion-implanted regions implanted with Al, Mg or Fe ions, for example. Asshown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the deviceincludes a substrate 10, a semiconductor material structure 32, aconductive channel 19, such as a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) inthe semiconductor material structure 32, an insulating material layer33, which can include a gate insulator portion 17 beneath the gate ofthe device, source 14, drain 15, gate contacts 16, 18, 25, and 26 (shownin the plan view of FIG. 2), and field plates 27, 28, 29, and 30 (shownin the plan view of FIG. 2).

As seen in FIG. 3, the portion of electrode 29 which is in the gateregion 31 is the gate contact 16, and the portion of electrode 29 whichis in the drain access region 24 is the field plate 28. The gatecontacts 16, 18, 25, and 26 can all be electrically connected to oneanother, for example externally in the circuit or outside the peripheryof the intrinsic device (not shown). The semiconductor materialstructure 32 can include multiple semiconductor layers, such as channellayer 11 and barrier layer 12, as shown in FIGS. 3-5. In someimplementations, the semiconductor material structure includes or isformed of III-N materials, and the device is a III-N device, such as aIII-N transistor or FET. For example, channel layer 11 can be GaN andbarrier layer 12 can be Al_(x)Ga_(1-x)N. As used herein, the termsIII-Nitride or III-N materials, layers, devices, structures, etc., referto a material, device, or structure comprised of a compoundsemiconductor material according to the stoichiometric formulaAl_(x)In_(y)Ga_(z)N, where x+y+z is about 1. In a III-Nitride or III-Ndevice, the conductive channel can be partially or entirely containedwithin a III-N material layer.

The slant field plates 27-30 shown in FIGS. 2-5 are formed of the sameconducting material as the gate contacts 16, 18, 25 and 26. Examples ofsuch conducting materials are Ni, Pt, poly-silicon, Al, Ti, Au, orcombinations thereof. Field plates can be used in semiconductor devices,such as transistors, to shape the electric field in the high-fieldregion of the device in such a way that reduces the peak electric fieldand increases the device breakdown voltage, thereby allowing for highervoltage operation. A field plate does not necessarily need to be formedof the same material as the gate, and it does not necessarily need to beconnected to the gate; in some cases, it can be connected to the source,the drain, an electrical ground or a DC voltage source. Insulatingmaterial layer 33 (shown in FIGS. 3-5) at least partially defines thegeometry of the gate and field plate structures. In the implementationshown in FIG. 3, for example, the insulating material layer 33 includesa slanted edge 34 on the drain side of the gate, and the field plate 28is on top of, and contacting slanted edge 34. Hence the field plate 28is a “slant field plate”, as shown in FIG. 3. The slanted edge 34includes at least a substantial portion which is at a non-perpendicularangle to a main surface of the semiconductor material structure 32.Alternative field plate structures to a slant field plate may also beused.

Still referring to FIGS. 2-5, the isolation regions 20, 21, and 22effectively reduce the width of the channel in the gate region 31without substantially reducing the effective width of the channel in theaccess regions 23 and 24. For example, the device includes threeisolation regions 20, 21 and 22, each of width W_(iso) (see FIG. 2),such that the total width of all the isolation regions, W_(tot), equals3*W_(iso). The isolation regions 20, 21 and 22 reduce the channel widthin the gate region 31 between source 14 and drain 15 from a value ofW_(source) (the entire extent of the source contact) to a value of(W_(source)−W_(tot)). The maximum current I_(max), which is proportionalto the channel width in the gate region, is thereby reduced by a factor(W_(source)−W_(tot))/W_(source), while the access resistances (i.e., thechannel resistances in the access regions) stay approximately the same.Hence, the total device on-resistance, which is equal to the sum of theintrinsic channel on-resistances (i.e., the on-resistance of the portionof the channel in the gate region 31) and the access resistances, maynot increase substantially.

In some implementations, isolation regions 20, 21 and 22 are used tolimit I_(max). They can be formed by implanting ions into thesemiconductor material structure 32. For III-N devices, ions that may beimplanted may include, but are not limited to, Al, Mg, or Fe. Or, theisolation regions can be formed by etching the semiconductor material atleast to a depth greater than the depth of the device channel, therebyphysically removing a portion of the device channel. The isolationregions can extend at least all the way from the side of the gate region31 nearest the source 14, to the other side of the gate region 31nearest the drain 15, as this may be necessary to ensure that current isreduced by a factor (W_(source)−W_(tot))/W_(source), compared to anotherwise identical device which does not include isolation regions.

For devices with a field plate or multiple field plates 27, 28, 29 and30 connected to the drain-side edge of the gate, as shown in FIG. 2, theisolation regions may optionally further extend towards the drain beyondthe drain-side edge of the field plates shown in FIG. 2. W_(tot) can bebetween about 1% and 99% of W_(source), such as between about 10% and90%, between about 20% and 80%, or between about 10% and 20% ofW_(source). Although the gate does not need to be directly over theisolation regions 20, 21 and 22, it may cover part or all of theportions of the isolation regions 20, 21 and 22 that are in the gateregion of the device. This can be advantageous as it may simplify thedevice fabrication process. The gate metal can be in electrical contactwith the isolation regions, or can be electrically isolated from them.When the isolation regions are etched regions, the electric fields alongtheir edges may be increased or enhanced during device operation. Hence,in order to prevent a reduction in the transistor breakdown voltage, itmay be necessary to include field plates along some or all of the edgesof the etched isolation regions 20, 21 and 22. For example, the same ora similar field plate structure to the one used along the drain-sideedge of the gate also can be used along some or all of the edges ofetched isolation regions.

FIG. 6 illustrates a device with an isolation region 40, where theisolation region is formed by etching the semiconductor material atleast to a depth greater than the depth of the device channel, therebyphysically removing a portion of the device channel. The cross-sectionshown in FIG. 6 is similar to that in FIG. 4, except that in FIG. 6 theelectrode 29 which includes the gate is deposited conformally along theportions of layers 12 and 11 that were exposed by the etch.Alternatively, an insulator can be placed between the electrode 29 andIII-N layers 11 and 12 (not shown). When an insulator is includedbetween the electrode 29 and III-N layers 11 and 12, an aperture may beetched through the insulator such that the electrode 29 directlycontacts one or both of III-N layers 11 and 12 in the aperture region.

Isolation regions 20, 21 and 22 may also be used to collect holes thatare formed in the device material layers 32 during times when theelectric fields in the device are sufficiently high, such as when thedevice is in the off-state and is blocking a high voltage. Isolationregions used as hole collectors can cause the holes to be transportedaway from the vicinity of the device channel, thereby mitigating theirdeleterious effects on device performance and reliability. The isolationregions can be placed in a region of low electric potential (voltage),such that holes are drawn towards the isolation regions. Once the holesapproach or are incident upon the isolation regions, they can be drawnaway from the vicinity of the channel or other active regions of thedevice. For example, in some implementations, the holes can recombinewith electrons near to or within the isolation regions 20, 21 and 22. Inother implementations, a metal electrode (not shown) is connected to thesurface of an isolation region, and a sufficiently low or negativevoltage is applied to that electrode to carry the holes away through theelectrode as an electrical current. In other implementations, the gatemetal is in electrical contact with the surface of the isolation region.Since the gate 16 is typically at a low or negative voltage when thetransistor 1 is in the off state, the voltage on the gate may besufficient to draw the holes away from the vicinity of the devicechannel or other active regions.

For isolation regions to function as hole collectors, in many cases itcan be necessary for the gate metal 16 to electrically contact at leasta portion of the underlying semiconductor material in the isolationregions 20, 21 and 22. Many transistors include gate dielectrics 17,which are insulators between the gate metal 16 and the underlyingsemiconductor material 12. When gate dielectrics are used, a break inthe dielectric may be required over at least a portion of isolationregion 20, 21 and 22 in order to allow the gate metal 16 or otherelectrode to contact the underlying isolation region.

Isolation regions 20, 21 and 22 used as hole collectors can have thefollowing properties. They can be regions in which the semiconductormaterial is etched, in some cases at least through the device channel.In this case, a metal electrode or a portion of the gate metalelectrically contacts at least a portion of the semiconductor surfacewhich was exposed by the etch. Alternatively, they can be ion implantedregions in the semiconductor material, where the implanted regions canextend through the channel region, thereby forming a break in the devicechannel. Ion implanted regions may be capable of conducting substantialhole, but not substantial electron currents. For example they can bep-type or nominally p-type regions. Isolation regions can be placed inregions of high electric field, or in the vicinity of regions of highelectric fields. Since holes may be generated in regions of highelectric field, placing an isolation region near the region where theholes are generated can improve hole collection efficiency. Examples ofregions that typically have high electric fields during device operationinclude the regions between the gate and the drain electrode,particularly near the drain-side edge of the gate electrode, or near orbeneath a field plate.

Isolation regions can also be placed in regions of low voltage or lowelectric potential, or in the vicinity of regions of low voltage or lowelectric potential. Since holes are drawn towards regions of low voltageor low electric potential, placing an isolation region near where theholes are drawn to can improve hole collection efficiency. Examples ofregions that are typically at low voltage or low electric potentialduring device operation include the regions near or beneath the sourceelectrode, the regions near or beneath the gate electrode, or theregions between the source and the gate electrode. Alternatively,isolation regions can be placed in regions of high electric fields(i.e., regions that have high electric fields during device operation).Since holes are generated in regions of high electric fields, placing anisolation region near where the holes are generated can improve holecollection efficiency. Examples of locations that hole collectors can beplaced include, but are not limited to, beneath or near the sourceelectrode 14 shown in FIG. 2, beneath or near the gate electrode 16, 18,25 and 26, between the source electrode 14 and the gate electrode 16,18, 25 and 26, between the gate electrode 16, 18, 25 and 26 and thedrain electrode 15, or beneath or near to a field plate. W_(tot) can bebetween about 1% and 99% of W_(source), such as between about 10% and20% of W_(source), where again W_(tot) is the total combined width ofall the isolation regions, as depicted in FIG. 2. When the isolationregions 20, 21 and 22 are etched regions, the electric fields along theedges of the etched isolation regions may be increased or enhancedduring device operation. Hence, in order to prevent a reduction in thetransistor breakdown voltage, it may be necessary to include fieldplates along some or all of the edges of the etched isolation regions.For example, the same or a similar field plate structure to the one usedalong the drain-side edge of the gate can be used along some or all ofthe edges of the etched isolation regions.

A III-N high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with isolation regionsthat serve to limit the maximum current can have a maximum current levelI_(max), per unit source width which is less than 500 mA/mm, such asless than 350, 150, or 50 mA/mm, while the product of the on-resistanceR_(on) and the source width is less than about 30 ohm-millimeters, suchless than about 15, 5, 3, 2, or 1 ohm-millimeters. The on-resistance istypically larger for devices that are designed to block larger voltages.Hence, a device designed to be capable of blocking 1200V may have anon-resistance that is about 30 ohm-millimeters or less, while a devicedesigned to be capable of blocking 600V may have an on-resistance thatis about 15 ohm-millimeters or less. In some implementations, themaximum current level of a transistor which includes an isolation regionis less than 50 A, such as less than 25, 10, or 5 A. In otherimplementations, the on-resistance of a transistor which includes anisolation region is less than 1 ohm, such as less than 0.5, 0.2, or 0.1ohms. In yet other implementations, the product of the maximum currentlevel and the on-resistance can be less than about 5 Amp-ohms.

number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the techniques and devices described herein.Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. A transistor device having a short-circuit survival time, comprising:a source, a gate, and a drain; a semiconductor material which includes agate region between the source and the drain; a plurality of channelaccess regions in the semiconductor material between the source and thegate, and between the drain and the gate, respectively; a channel in thesemiconductor material having an effective width in the gate region andin the channel access regions; and an isolation region in the gateregion serving to reduce the effective width of the channel in the gateregion without substantially reducing the effective width of the channelin the access regions.
 2. The transistor device of claim 1 wherein thereare a plurality of isolation regions in the gate region.
 3. Thetransistor device of claim 1 wherein the isolation region is a regionetched through the channel.
 4. The transistor device of claim 1, furtherincluding a field plate along an edge of the isolation region.
 5. Thetransistor device of claim 1 wherein the isolation region containsdopants implanted into the semiconductor material to a depth greaterthan the depth of the channel.
 6. The transistor device of claim 5wherein the dopants are selected from the group consisting of Mg, Al andFe.
 7. The transistor device of claim 1, further including a field platewhich lies over the channel access region between the gate and thedrain.
 8. The transistor device of claim 7 wherein the field plate is aslant field plate.
 9. The transistor device of claim 7 wherein the fieldplate is connected to one of the gate, the source, the drain, ground ora DC voltage.
 10. The transistor device of claim 1 wherein the device isa III-N transistor.
 11. The transistor device of claim 1 wherein thedevice is a field effect transistor.
 12. The transistor device of claim1 wherein the isolation region is capable of collecting holes generatedin the semiconductor material.
 13. The transistor device of claim 1wherein the gate contacts a surface of the isolation region.
 14. Thetransistor device of claim 1 wherein the isolation region increases theshort-circuit survival time of the transistor.
 15. The transistor deviceof claim 1 wherein the device is a high-voltage device.
 16. A transistordevice, comprising: a source, a gate, and a drain; a semiconductormaterial which includes a gate region between the source and the drain;a plurality of channel access regions in the semiconductor materialbetween the source and the gate, and between the drain and the gate,respectively; a channel in the semiconductor material; and an isolationregion in or near a region of the semiconductor material which has ahigh electric field or is at a low electric potential during deviceoperation, serving to improve the efficiency of hole collection from thesemiconductor material.
 17. The transistor device of claim 16 whereinthe isolation region lies beneath or near the source.
 18. The transistordevice of claim 16 wherein the isolation region lies beneath or near thegate.
 19. The transistor device of claim 16 wherein the isolation regionlies between the source and the gate.
 20. The transistor device of claim16 wherein the isolation region lies between the gate and the drain. 21.The transistor device of claim 16, further including a field plate whichlies over the channel access region between the gate and the drain. 22.The transistor device of claim 21 wherein the isolation region liesbeneath or near to the field plate.
 23. The transistor device of claim16 wherein the gate contacts a surface of the isolation region.
 24. Thetransistor device of claim 16 wherein the source contacts a surface ofthe isolation region.
 25. The transistor device of claim 16, furthercomprising a metal electrode contacting a surface of the isolationregion.
 26. The transistor device of claim 16 wherein the device is ahigh-voltage device.
 27. The transistor device of claim 16 wherein thedevice is a III-N transistor.
 28. The transistor device of claim 16wherein the isolation region is capable of collecting holes generated inthe semiconductor material.
 29. A transistor device comprising a sourcehaving a source width, the transistor device having a maximum currentand an on-resistance, wherein the maximum current per unit source widthis less than 500 milliamps/millimeter, and the on-resistance multipliedby the source width is less than 30 ohm-millimeters.
 30. The transistordevice of claim 29, wherein the device is capable of blocking at least600V.
 31. The transistor device of claim 30, wherein the on-resistancemultiplied by the source width is less than 15 ohm-millimeters.
 32. Thetransistor device of claim 29, wherein the maximum current is less than50 A.
 33. The transistor device of claim 29, wherein the on-resistanceis less than 1 ohm.
 34. The transistor device of claim 29, wherein theproduct of the maximum current and the on-resistance is less than about5 Amp-ohms.
 35. The transistor device of claim 29, wherein the device isa III-N transistor.